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I know this one is going to sound crazy, but you know me…I love to try recipes that are a bit outside of the box. This Vegan Coconut Sweet Corn & Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream Recipe did not disappoint!
I was researching recipes since corn is in season and found one or two ice creams made with it – but sooo many eggs. That wasn’t going to work. So, I worked to veganize it and I have to tell you, I can’t remember the last time I sampled a recipe so much while preparing it!
I decided I want to do something a bit different with it and when I found these amazingly beautiful fresh blackberries, I decided to create a reduction with sugar and swirl it into the ice cream.
Preparing the corn ice cream base:
The first step is to remove the corn from the cob. I cut mine in half so that it fits easier into our pot.
Be sure to use the back of your knife to scrape those cobs for any additional milk they might produce. That is where the flavor lies!
There are two products I used to made this ice cream vegan and both are easy to find on Amazon, Vegan Essentials, etc. Most Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s or similar markets now carry them as well. They are as follows:
- Nature’s Charm Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk {affiliate link) – this was SUCH a find and it’s vegan 🙂
- Thai Kitchen Organic Unsweetened Coconut Milk {affiliate link} – you will notice I use this brand a lot. It’s nice and thick, not watery.
These two get added to a large stock pot and whisked together.
Add the corn you cut from the cob, any milk extracted from it and the cobs themselves.
Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for at least 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add vanilla extract.
Meanwhile, let’s prepare the simple blackberry reduction. It’s two ingredients. Blackberries and sugar.
Keep cooking until it gets all bubbly (be careful it doesn’t boil over as it reduces!). Remove from the burner and cool.
OPTIONAL: Before the reduction cools completely and thickens, you can strain it if you prefer a smooth mixture. I did not.
Back to our corn mixture, it’s time to remove and discard the cobs. They have done their job!
Cool this mixture slightly before adding to a food processor. When you add hot food to a processor, it expands and can burst through the lid. It’s not worth getting burned or making a mess to rush this step.
I get asked a lot about my food processor. I use the Cuisinart Classic {affiliate link} and have had it literally for years! I probably should get a new one, but it’s so reliable.
So, now it’s decision making time again. To strain, or not to strain – that is the question. At this point, you will have little pieces of corn that remain in your liquids. If these bother you, just pass it through a fine mesh strainer. Problem solved! 🙂
The hardest part of this recipe? Remembering to freeze the ice cream maker bowl the night before!
Can I make this recipe without an ice cream maker?
The short answer is yes! What an ice cream maker does however, is add air as it freezes so that your end product is very light and fluffy. In order to complete the layering process using the berry mixture, you’ll have to freeze this corn milk portion to a soft serve consistency first. It will be just as tasty.
If you are using the pre-frozen ice cream maker bowl, add the corn liquids to it. We want a nice soft-serve ice cream so that we can easily spread and layer it with the berry mixture. This should take approximately 15-20 minutes.
You should see some ice crystals forming and the chunks of your corn that remain (unless you strained yours).
In a glass loaf pan, add about half of the corn ice cream. Then, about half of your berry mixture.
Top with more of the corn ice cream. Spread as evenly as you can, but don’t worry if the berries poke through. This is a swirl ice cream after all 🙂
For the top layer, I took a bit more time to run a knife through to create more swirls. It’s back into the freezer for a couple of hours.
I don’t like this ice cream to get rock hard. It should still be scoopable. If it does get too hard to scoop, just leave it out on the counter for about 15 minutes and you should be fine. Enjoy!
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Vegan Coconut Sweet Corn & Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
For The Sweet Corn Ice Cream Base:
- 13. 5 oz Can of Coconut Milk (shaken and NOT refrigerated)
- 14 oz Can of Vegan Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk
- 2 ears Sweet Corn kernels removed, cobs saved
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- pinch Salt
For The Blackberry Sauce:
- 1 c Blackberries
- 1/2 c Sugar
Instructions
To Make The Sweet Corn Ice Cream Base:
- Cut the kernels off of two ears of sweet corn, reserving cobs.
- Add coconut milk and sweetened condensed coconut milk to a large pot.
- To the milk mixture, add the corn and cobs, bringing to a boil and then reducing to a simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, discarding the corn cobs.
- Add vanilla extract and cool this mixture slightly before adding to a food processor. CAUTION: hot food expands in a food processor or blender and could cause the top to come off releasing the hot liquids. Take the few minutes to allow the mixture to cool before proceeding.
- Puree until smooth. There will still be small bits of corn and you can either choose to strain or leave them in.
- Add this mixture to a pre-frozen bowl of an ice cream maker and process to a soft serve stage.
- Alternately, you can do this without an ice cream maker. Use a blender to really whip up the mixture then add to a freezer safe pan. Allow to come to a soft serve stage before proceeding.
To Make The Blackberry Sauce:
- Add blackberries and sugar to a saucepan over medium heat. Allow it to become bubbly and thick.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. You can choose to strain this mixture or leave the fruit pieces. Be careful. This mixture is HOT!
To Assemble:
- Layer about 1/2 of the soft serve corn mixture, topping it with a layer of the blackberry sauce. Repeat with the remaining corn mixture and blackberry sauce. You can use a knife to swirl it around.
- It's ready to eat, but if you prefer it to be scoopable, just pop it in the freezer for an hour or two.
Video
Kristin says
oh wow! i’ve always been intrigued by sweet corn ice cream. this looks amazing!